Episode 1.5
From HOTGT
Contents |
TEASER
Vincent sat on the bridge, fiddling with dials as he waited. He looked out onto the dirty, dim landscape of Terrietowne, one of many cities on the planet Beylix, and sighed. He'd rather be in the black than on this polluted piece of rock. He couldn't wait for the others to get back from their chores so they could fix the Mao's Claw, get a job, and take off.
“You'll be wanting to stay very still, son.” a voice said behind Vincent. A voice accompanied by the whine of a gun being cocked.
--
Currently playing: Desert and Robot Auction from the Star Wars: a New Hope soundtrack.
“You can tell the rich from the poor here,” James noted, “the rich folk can afford filter masks so they don't have to breathe this joo fuen chse of atmosphere.”
He and Nadie stepped out of the grocery store. James was pushing a small cart oh wheels filled with boxes, canned goods, and toiletries. Nadie glanced around.
“Well, there're four junk yards on the edge of the city,” she answered, “and dozens of recyclin' plants in the city proper. Ironic, ain't it? The recyclin' plants puttin' out so much pollution?”
James didn't answer. Nadie turned to say something else but found her quartermaster on the ground, unconscious. She slapped her neck as she felt something sting her. Nadie came away with a plastic thorn. It had pierced her skin.
“Oh, wong ba duhn!”
Nadie felt her body going numb but fought off the growing feeling of lethargy. She looked around and spotted her attacker down the street. He was a large man, easily one of the biggest she had ever seen, with long, greasy hair and a stupid mustache. He was lifting a metal pipe to his lips and exhaling hard.
That's when the lights went out for Nadie Ling.
--
He and Del stood just inside United Reclaimation Terrietowne Waste Yard One. Del tore the list towards the bottom and handed the smaller piece to Fin.
“Need extra scrap. Wires. Junk parts and the like.” Del explained. “I'll go lookin' for stuff we can weld to the hull, keep the Claw all structurally intact and all.”
They went their seperate ways. Fin had luck first. Near the entrance were stacks of crates, each marked “Grade A Spare Parts”. In other works, boxes of scrap and junk.
It took Del longer but, further back, she found the burned out hull of a Firefly class transport.
“Waste of a perfectly shiny Firefly.” Del lamented to Fin when she rejoined him, “but I should be able to cut ourselves off enough plating to patch up the weak in our hull. Let's go back to the shuttle, get us the tools, and get to work.”
Del turned towards the junkyard entrance but didn't get but a few steps before she collapsed. Fin turned and spotted their assailant. She was a latin woman wearing jeans and a dirty t-shirt and she was holding some sort of gun.
The woman fired another shot just as Fin was dodging behind what was once a sonic dishwasher. The dart pinged off the surface. Fin reached for his gun but found nothing. Beylix had strict laws against guns and long blades. The captain hadn't wanted to make any waves.
Fin watched as the woman crossed the junkyard towards Del. His only hope was to jump her when she was too close to bring her dart gun to bear.
The woman stopped at Del, however, and pointed the gun down at the mechanic.
“I figure,” she called out towards where Fin took cover, “that about three or four darts will put her in so deep she'll never wake up.”
Fin's mind raced. There were only a few drugs that would drop a person as quickly as it did Del and all of them were lethal in quantities that weren't too much larger than a standard dosage. He raised his hands and walked out into the open.
It took two darts to put Fin down.
--
Fin was the first to wake up. Nadie was the last. All four of them were sitting, wrists chained to a rusted metal wall above their head. The only source of light was a cracked datapad laying in the center of the room. Unfortunately, it was also a source of noise as well. The datapad played the Fruity Oatey Bars jingle over and over again.
Nadie, Fin, Del, and James all noticed one other thing about their situation.
They were all naked.
END OF TEASER
Currently playing: A solo guitar version of Real People Blues from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack.
ACT ONE
Currently playing: The fruity oatey bars jingle from the Serenity soundtrack.
FRUITY OATEY BARS, MAKE A MAN OUT OF A MOUSE
Nadie glanced up and saw the hatch at the top of the room.
FRUITY OATEY BARS, MAKE YOU BUST OUT OF YOUR BLOUSE!
“Seems that up there's the only way out.” she said.
James craned his head and examined the manacles.
TRY FRUITY OATEY BARS!
“These seem to be standard.” he explained, squinting in the dim light, “you insert the key, turn it, and a circuit completes inside which causes the cuffs to unlock. I might be able to pick it with some sort of probe.”
FRUITY OATEY BARS, MAKE A MAN OUT OF A MOUSE!
“Ain't an abundance of tools here.” Nadie pointed out.
FRUITY OATEY BARS, MAKE YOU BUST OUT OF YOUR BLOUSE!
“There's the datapad.” Fin noted.
EAT THEM NOW, BING! PING! ZOW!
“Our only source of light.” Del pointed out. “This don't work be hard to do much else.”
TRY FRUITY OATEY BARS!
James reached out, stretching his leg until he could press down on the datapad with his toes. Then, slowly and carefully he dragged it towards him. He used both of his feet to flip the pad over so it was face down. The light was smoothered but the song wasn't.
FRUITY OATEY BARS, MAKE A MAN OUT OF A MOUSE!
James raised his foot and slammed it down, over and over again.
FRUITY OATEY BARS, MAKE YOU BU....
The datapad fell silent as the screen and the circuitry beyond shattered. James began feeling for a sliver of plastic large enough to use as a lockpick.
Del found one first.
“Got it!” she cried. “Here, reach out with your foot. I'll pass it to ya.”
The whole exchange was awkward and complicated. She used her foot to slide it over. He had to feel around with his foot until he found her's, then follow the line from heel to toe until he could put his own big toe down on the sliver. He dragged it back and spent several frustrating minutes contorting his body to get the makeshit pick into his right hand. James went to work.
The plastic sliver snapped off in the lock of the cuff around his left hand.
“Gorram it!” James swore, “the plastic's too brittle.”
“Okay.” Fin said. They had all been waiting, trying not to give into the feelings of panic the darkness and confinement brought. “So, you can't turn the lock. Is there another way to complete the circuit?”
They were all silent as they thought about the problem.
“Could might be able to use the datapad's battery.” Del said, slowly, working a diagram out in her head, “hook up some wires. Get it touchin' the right spot in the cuff's innards and it might short circuit the thing. Pass me the datapad.”
James pushed the now broken datapad back over to Del. She couldn't resist poking his foot with her big toe.
“Ain't what I usually mean by playin' footsie.” Del said with humor. She pulled the datapad back to her and worked it between her feet, then up into her hands. The chain had just enough give that she could use both hands to work.
Several minutes passed as Del worked, singing the Fruity Oatey Bars jingle under her breath as she did.
“How's it coming, Del?” Fin called out.
“Aint' got tools and I work this wrong I find out what fried chicken feels like. Let me work.” Del grunted back. She went back to singing that horrible jingle and working. It was a few minutes later when she finished.
“James, reach out with your foot. Got a present for ya.”
James played the foot exchange game with Del one last time, pulling over a jury-rigged device consisting of a square battery hooked into a set of wires. It took a few tries but it worked. There was a crackle, a spark of light, and the cuff on his right hand snapped open.
He jimmied the sliver of plastic from the lock of the left cuff and used Del's juryrigged device to free himself completely. Then James did the same for the others.
Del picked up the broken remains of the datapad and glanced up in the dark towards where she knew the hatch was. She almost shrieked when she felt the hand on her shoulder.
“Just me.” Nadie said. “Gonna give you a boost. Open the hatch and let's get.”
--
On the bridge of the Mao's Claw, Huxley T. Rawl leaned over a cortex screen. He looked angry. Then again, he always looked angry.
“Is it done?” he asked, impatiently.
“My friend, it is as done as can be done.” the gangly, scruffy young man on the other end said, “and may I say it always a pleasure doing business with such a sunny personality. Your credits are much appreciated.”
“Yeah. Whatever. I'll contact you if I need anything further.” Rawl growled.
“I wait with bells on. Really. Little tiny bells.”
The young man's image blinked away and the cortex went dark.
“I don't get why we just didn't kill 'em.” the latin woman said as she stood up from the co-pilot's chair.
“I am not a murderer!” Huxley shouted, his voice almost cracking with a sudden, frenzied rage. He cooled down as quickly as he exploded, however.
“Besides,” Huxley said with a nasty little smile, “I want the people who stole my baby from me to suffer just as much as I suffered. To face humiliation just like I did. To know they were failures. That they couldn't keep Huxley T. Rawl down. Oh, no. Their plan failed and I'm the better man.”
The latin woman just shrugged and walked away. She knew better than to talk to the boss when he was in one of his crazy moments.
--
Mr. Universe leaned back in his chair and stared at the screen that had just shown the ugly visage of Huxley T. Rawl. Already it had begun displaying data from a military satellite orbiting Ares.
“He's going to be very, very angry when all the changes I made poof away like smoke in five days. Very angry indeed.”
He shrugged.
“Oh well. The guy's a prick.”
--
Currently playing: Little People Work from the Star Wars: a New Hope soundtrack.
It turned out they had been locked inside a rusted old tank. The tank was in a junkyard, though not the one Del and Fin had visited. It was night and the yard was closed for the evening. Light came from pole mounted electric lamps scattered throughout the yard.
“There's a camera on the gate and one on the shack by the gate.” James pointed out to the others, “The lock on the shack door seems simple enough and the single window is ionic, not glass.
“So we leave by the front gate and someone might see us.” Nadie mused, “same thing if we enter that shack.”
James nodded.
“The shack is made out of plastic. It wouldn't be hard to cut into the back.” he noted, “Go in that way. But there might be a camera inside, too. It might be better to improvise a cutting tool and cut a hole in the fence away from the electronic eye.”
“Fence electric?” Nadie asked.
Del picked up a piece of metal junk and tossed it against the fence. It bounced off the chainlink and then rolled along the ground.
“Nope.” she said.
“Alright. Let's get movin'. We need to get back to the Claw.” Nadie turned to her crew and raised an eyebrow. While she, James, and Del were still naked, Fin had found an old blanket and fashioned it into a poncho.
“You don't want to think about what was living in this.” Fin muttered, “but it is better than being naked.”
The others weren't sure they agreed.
--
It was a long trek down a lonely road before the crew of the Mao's Claw found any sign of civilization. Between the junkyard and the Terrietowne was a small village of mobile homes. They approached cautiously but, this late at night, very few lights were on.
“These people probably work for United Reclaimation,” James mused, “but don't get paid enough to actually be able to afford living in the city.”
“Don't seem like most folk are awake.” Nadie added, “Clothes first. Then let's find a cortex and wave the ship.”
“I hope Vincent's alright.” Del said, fighting to keep the worry out of her voice.
They found a set of coveralls drying on a clothesline. They were ugly and blue and smelled funny thanks to exposure to the polluted Beylix air but they were clothes. Once clothed, Del walks towards one of the homes that had lights on. She was the least threatening of them.
A heavy-set, older woman answered the door.
“Whadyawant?” she asked, grumpily.
“Excuse me, ma'am.” Del smiled, all bright and cheerful, “My friends and I got mugged and dumped out here and we need a cortex to call our friend for a ride...”
“Friends?” the woman asked, peering out into the hazy gloom of the night, “Where are they, then?”
“Didn't want to spook you.” Del explained, “Group of us comin' up to your fine home and all.”
The woman eyed Del and the name-tag on Del's stolen coveralls.
“You one of Neil's girlfriends?” she asked.
“Somethin' like that.” Del said, quickly.
“Well...” the woman shrugged and walked back inside. “Come on, then. Just watchin' my stories s'all. Couldn't sleep.”
Del followed into the small but surprisingly homey mobile home. Not far from the door was a cortex screen showing a torrid love scene, spoken entirely in Mandarin. She quickly switched the screen to wave mode and tapped in the code for the Mao's Claw.
There was no answer.
She tried again, this time expanding the wave beyond local. It was as she feared. Del switched the screen back to the soap opera.
“Thank you, ma'am.” Del said before heading outside to join the others. She had bad news to give them.
“The Claw ain't on the planet.”
--
Currently playing: Desert and Robot Auction from the Star Wars: a New Hope soundtrack.
They had to steal a small, three wheeled mule with an attached trailer to make it back to port. The sun was rising as they abandoned it behind a building.
“We'll wave and let folk know where to find the mule later.” Nadie told the others. “For now, best we find out what happened.”
The first stop was to their berth, just to confirm the Mao's Claw was gone. It was. The next was to the port authority office.
“We'd like to see the port master, please.” Nadie asked the strangely still woman who was sitting behind the reception desk.
The woman slowly turned her head and then lifted it, moving with mechanical precision.
“I am sorry,” the woman said, “but the port maser is currently out of the office. The port master will return to the office in exactly 2.3 hours. Please come again at that time. Thank you.”
“Great.” James muttered to himself, “another robot. Make sure this one doesn't try to kill us.”
“Can't,” Del said, amused, “ain't got legs. She's part of the desk.”
Nadie ignored the conversation behind her and pressed forward.
“Could you access the records of the Mao's Claw? Someone took her and we need to know who.”
“Accessing... there is no record of a Mao's Claw having been docked here,” the robot receptionist replied.
“Gorram it.” Nadie growled, “It was a white whale class heavy transport. Big mag-scoop on the front. Can't miss it.”
“Accessing... the only white whale class heavy transport to dock on Beylix in the last 48 hours was the Pussycat, registered to one Huxley T. Rawl.”
Nadie groaned and turned to the others.
“Rawl was the guy what owned the Claw before my brother got her.” Nadie explained, “boat was named the Pussycat then.”
“Is there a reason why Rawl would still be listed as the owner?” James asked, “Did your brother steal the ship?”
“No!” Nadie did her best not to be too offended by the suggestion. Her brother had stolen stuff while on the job, after all, “He bought it, all legal and proper. Rawl just wants the Claw back for some gorram reason.”
“He had to get here somehow,” Fin pointed out, “Maybe he had or has another ship?”
“There any other ships registered to Huxley T. Rawl?” Nadie asked the robot.
“Accessing... there are no other ships registered to Huxley T. Rawl at this time.”
“There been any other ships registered to him in the recent past?”
“Accessing... until yesterday, a Barking Dog was registered to Huxley T. Rawl. Ownership was transferred to the Super Excellent Shiny Used Starship Lot.”
“I'll check out the starship lot.” James said, “Maybe we can find something in his old ship to tell us where Rawl went.”
“I'll talk to the port master.” Del volunteered. “Cap'n, we'll find Vincent, right?”
“We don't leave crew behind, Del. We'll look for him. Come on, Fin.” Nadie replied.
--
“Well, hello there, son!” an older man in a white business suit walked over and slapped James on the shoulder. “Welcome to the Super Excellent Shiny Used Starship Lot. I'm James Shiny. What can I do for you on this fine day?”
“You bought a starship yesterday from a man named Huxley.” James got right to the point, “I was wondering if I could take a look around her.”
Mr. Shiny opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again and slowly looked down at James' bare feet.
“I'll be honest, son, I only let people tour my ships if I think they're gonna buy. You don't look like you could buy a broken down mule much less a fine specimen of starship such as I have here.”
“Situations can change quickly.” James said with a shrug.
“Are situations likely to change quickly in the next few hours?”
“Maybe not.” James admitted, then pushed forward, “Huxley stole our ship. We need to figure out where he went so we can take her back.”
“Well, son, I feel for you. I honestly do.” Shiny said, thoughtfully, “I'll tell you what. This might help you out. As he and his two friends, latin girl and a big man, I heard him say, “Buy just enough fuel to get us where we're going.” I hope that helps.”
“It might. It just might. Thank you.”
--
The door to the port authority opened just moments after the functional office wall clock announced it was time for the port master to arrive. Del stood up and wiggled a bit, trying to make sure she was as attractive as was possible in the jumpsuit.
The port master turned out to be an older woman, in her late forties, walking with a limp and the help of a cane. Del sighed softly and moved in anyway.
“'scuse me.” Del said, “Are you the port master? 'Cause I need some help. See, our ship was stolen and...”
“I see,” the woman interrupted, “Well, then, come with me. We'll call the local Fed station and they can come out to investigate.”
“I'm not really sure the Feds could help in a very timely manner, ma'am.” Del said with as respectful a tone as she could muster.
“I'm afraid that is the extent to which I am able to help you, miss.”
“You seem like the sort to want things done right, ma'am...”
“Yes. I am the type of person who does things correctly,” the woman interrupted Del again, “And the correct procedure in this case is to call the Feds. Now, either we will go do that or you are wasting my time and I am a busy woman.”
Del let out another sigh.
“Sorry to have bothered you, ma'am.”
--
“So, if we can find out how much fuel they purchased, we should be able to figure out their destination.” James explained to the others.
“More luck than I had.” Del said, “I don't think we'll be gettin' much from the port authority here.”
“Not directly,” Fin noted, “But we can probably get the information from the person who actually did the refueling.”
“And we'll need a ride to get where we're goin'. Saw a squarish ship with four engines here. They was lookin' to take passengers. Might be we can get help from them.” Nadie added.
“Four engines and square shaped? That's a Crazy Dragon.” Del brightened, “Those things are jin tian dwohn di agile. Vincent could do some amazing flight, in the cockpit of one of those... if he was here. Cap'n, any sign?”
“Sorry, Del. We looked but it don't look like he was left behind. He'd have found ways to contact us if he had been.” Nadie said with regret.
“Let me see if I can't sell this broken datapad.” Del said, holding up the item that had once tormented them with the Fruity Oatey Bars jingle, “Maybe buy us some cheap shoes.”
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
The King of Hell was just as Nadie described it, square with four engines. Each engine could move independently, allowing for sudden reversals and fast turns. An electronic sign announced she was heading to Saint Albans. A pretty blonde girl in a mechanic's jumpsuit sat in a chair nearby the sign, in the middle of reading a paperback novel.
“'Scuse me,” Nadie said to the blonde, “I need to speak to your Cap'n.”
“She's out,” the blonde replied. She dog-eared a page and set it down beside the chair. “If you're looking for passage I can help you.”
“Really need to speak to her.” Nadie replied.
“Well, she should be back sh... and there she is.” the blonde pointed behind her.
Nadie turned around to see a tall woman with Asian features, dressed in in a single piece, black leather jumpsuit. Walking beside her was a shorter, quite mean looking man with sunglasses on. He walked right by Nadie without so much as a glance and climbed up into the ship.
“Cap'n,” Nadie said, stepping up to the other woman, “My name's Nadie Ling. Truth is, I'm in need of some help. My ship, Mao's Claw, got stolen. We're in the process of figurin' out where she got taken to but we'll need a ride to get there.”
“Well,” the woman said, slowly and thoughtfully, “We're on our way to Saint Albans. Any deviation from our course would cost extra.”
“Well, there's the hitch,” Nadie replied, embarrassed but honest, “Our money got stolen, too. We can't pay you.”
“That is a problem. I can't let you onto my ship without payment.” the woman said.
“I understand. Completely. Must be somethin' we could trade, though.” Nadie tried to keep her voice calm and steady and not let the stress of the last twenty-four hours overwhelm her.
“That could be.” the woman answered, “it would have to be something of significant value, though, and we would have to receive payment in advance.”
Nadie thought, furiously, going through her mental inventory of resources. Finally, she hit upon what she hoped was the solution.
“My uncle's placed high in the Lucky Four Fingers Tong on Paquin.” Nadie said, “I could write you a letter of recommendation and introduction, get you some work.”
The woman considered Nadie for a moment, then nodded.
“That and five hundred credits will buy you and your crew passage so long as it isn't too far out of our way.”
Nadie despaired. She wasn't sure where she'd pick up five hundred credits but she also knew she wouldn't be likely to find a better deal. She thrust out her hand.
“Deal. Name's Nadie Ling.”
The woman gripped Nadie's hand and shook.
“Captain Hannah Qin.” she introduced herself, then waved towards the blonde, “my mechanic, Brooke Qin. The man you just saw walk in was Jacob Decourt. You'll need to be back around sundown. We'll be leaving shortly after.”
Nadie nodded her acceptance of the terms and walked away. She had to find five hundred credits and she had to find it fast.
--
They had talked to one of the fuel techs and found out that a man named Joey had handled the refueling of the Mao's Claw. They also found out his next shift began at six in the evening. The rest of the day was spent doing another search for Vincent. Fin spent part of that time studying astrogation charts on a public cortex monitor. Nadie dug through her brother's old contacts until she found one willing to lend her five hundred credits. The loan had ten percent interest and compounded monthly.
A sense of frustration at not being able to act immediately grew as the hours passed until it felt as if they would burst from it. Finally, six rolled around and they converged once more upon the port. It didn't take long to find Joey.
“'scuse me.” Del said, walking slowly up to the middle-aged technician. She had pulled down the zipper on her coveralls just enough to show off a hint of clevage. “I find myself in serious need of your help.”
“M-my... help?” Joey asked, his eyes more on Del's chest than her eyes.
“Mmhmm.” Del smiled, “See, there was this ship, the Mao's Claw? Might have been called the Pussycat. Had a big scoop-claw thing on the front. I really need to know where she went. How much fuel did you put in her?”
“W-went?” Joey stammered, “Huh? Oh! Umm...” he yanked his eyes up towards Del's face, “Right. Well, really shouldn't tell ya but...”
Joey tapped his workpad's screen a few times.
“Yeah. Pussycat. Fueled her up with fifteen point six tons.” Joey tried his best smile, “Say. You maybe want to go get something to eat later? Coffee?”
“That's real sweet but I ain't gonna be here long.” Del said. She kissed Joey on the cheek, “but I'll wave you maybe if I come back through here.”
Del walked a little ways, turned back and waved to Joey, and then rejoined the others.
--
“That comes out to 'bout hundred and seventeen hours.” Del said. They had all gathered around the port's public cortex terminal. “Won't get them far.”
Nadie nodded and pointed to spots on the astrogation charts that Fin had researched earlier.
“Could get 'em to Haven but I doubt Rawl'd be goin' there. He used the Claw for salvage. Could be a salvage job. Wrecked ship...”
“... but he'd have to be very sure there was fuel left in the wrecked ship to syphon.” James pointed out.
“Seems a bit of a gamble.” Fin agreed. He tapped the screen a few times, rotating planet to planet until he noticed something else. He traced a path towards it, then magnified.
“Dandelion Station.” Fin read the text scrolling beneath the image.
“Refuelin' post.” Nadie said, suddenly remembering details. She had forgotten about the station, “orbits a blackrock.”
“And at the Claw's speed it would take about one hundred and seventeen hours to reach.” Fin agreed.
“Looks like we got ourselves a destination, folks.” Nadie said. She turned and began a grim march to the King of Hell.
--
Captain Qin counted the last of the bills and then pocketed the money.
“Welcome aboard the King of Hell.” she motioned towards the forward starboard cargo bay, the ramp of which was lowering. The forward port cargo ramp was already down. Rented muscle was hauling cargo into the King of Hell under the supervision of the boat's first mate and pilot, Roy Wood.
“You'll be riding steerage in our cargo bay until we dock with Dandelion station. I'll send someone to look in on you, make sure you get food and are as comfortable as you can be considering you're on the floor of a cargo hold.”
The crew of the absent Mao's Claw climbed up the ramp. The bay wasn't nearly as large as their own, capable of holding a mere ten tons of cargo instead of two thousand and seven hundred tons. Nadie, James, Del, and Fin settled in for the trip.
They were visited several times during the trip. At the start of the trip, Brooke brought them blankets to curl up in. Twice a day, Brooke brought them protein paste to eat and water to drink. A small, portable head had been rigged in the corner, proof that the cargo bay had been used for this sort of work before.
Little conversation passed back and forth between the crew of the Mao's Claw. Each spent the trip quietly, wrapped up in their own thoughts. Del worried about Vincent. Nadie about both Vincent and her ship. James quietly worked on his next book, writing in his own, almost flawless memory. Fin had the worst of it. He stayed in the corner, huddled in his blankets. He passed in and out of sleep, shivering, as he dreamed of bottles of the thick, clear liquid that would ease the pains of his body and the pains of his life.
--
“Your boat's here.” Hannah said to Nadie as they shook hands, “We saw her docked as we were coming in. We made sure to grab the next dock over from her so you won't have far to walk.”
“Thank you.” Nadie answered. They waited until the King of Hell had decoupled. Then they took the lift upwards and walked into the station proper. Nadie paused long enough to read the writing stenciled onto the lift wall.
“Welcome aboard. Please don't put no holes in my station. We reserve the right to detach your vessel or space you if you get rowdy.”
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
Currently playing: The Fifth Element soundtrack, track 11.
Dandelion station's mall was a riot of sight, sound, and color. Because the mall was the center point of the station, more people were just passing through than actually shopping. As a result the common area between the shops, though not very large, was packed with people. Somehow they all moved without bringing the whole mass crashing down like a row of dominoes. Most of the shops were obviously small and many of them open by appointment only.
“We split up, move through the crowd, see if we can't find ourselves Rawl or his folk. Don't engage. Just watch.” Nadie gave orders and they all walked into the confusion.
Fin was the one to catch sight of the prey. The latin woman was leaving a confection shop, a ball of flavored ice hanging from a stick held in one hand. She took occasional bites as she shouldered her way through the crowd, towards an lift marked “4”. Fin followed her until she entered the lift. He resisted the urge to barge in after her in a desperate attempt to board the Claw and find his drug stash. Then he went out in search of the others.
--
They found refuge in a small bar called the Waterin' Hole Saloon.
“They already been here a few days. Might not stay much longer.” Nadie mused, “We need to talk back the Claw but we need weapons to do that.”
“I saw a gun shop in the mall,” Del noted, “maybe I can get us somethin' at least.”
“Why don't we go to the stationmaster and explain things?” James asked, “She might be able to help.”
“Alright.” Nadie agreed, “James, you and I'll go talk to the stationmaster. Del, see what all you can do with the weapon situation. Fin... you just rest until we need you, okay?”
By this point, Fin wasn't looking good at all.
--
Fin waited for the others to leave. When he was certain they weren't watching, he stood up and walked back out into the crowd. Across the mall was the station's clinic. Or, at least the sign said it was. What Fin entered was just an office with a small examination area. Either the medic here didn't get a lot of serious injuries or she did the bulk of her work elsewhere.
The woman sitting behind the desk was probably only in her forties but showed the emotional scars of a person twice that age. She rose as Fin walked in.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Yes,” Fin said, looking down at the desk. The nameplate on it read “Doctor Alice Emory”. He proceeded to go into his story, explaining a credible medical condition, doing his best to simulate the outward signs of it, explaining how his medicine had been stolen.
“I see.” Doctor Emory said, slowly, “I'm sorry. I can't give you any medicine. I have a strict policy against supplying addicts. I can offer you help, though. I know a number of programs that could assist you and I can write a letter of introduction for you. Most of them are in the core but with my letter you shouldn't have any problem getting into one of them. Here, I have some information on a few of them.”
The doctor opened a desk drawer and pulled out a few pamphlets. She offered them to Fin. He took them but didn't look down.
“That's not what I need.” he said, his voice barely steady.
“That's all I can do for you.” Doctor Emory said, sadly, “You have to do the rest for yourself. If you have a real medical problem I'll do my best for you but even then I'll be very careful with the painkillers.”
“I have the pamphlets if I need help.” Fin shook the tri-folded pieces of paper, trying not to sound too bitter. “Thanks.”
He turned to leave.
“Young man, before you go,” Doctor Emory said, “I'll be calling security and asking them to keep an eye on you. It has been my experience that addicts going through withdrawal can make very rash and often very illegal decisions.”
Fin tried not to think about what might happen if he didn't get an injection of something soon. He left the doctor's office.
--
“I ain't much in the habit of givin' away guns, missy.” Leon McMasters explained to Del. They were crammed into his little shop. There were firearms everywhere, all carefully locked behind glass.
“I understand. Truly, I do.” Del said, “but we're fair desperate, sir. We need to get our ship back. I promise to pay you after. These folk that stole the Claw are mean as can be and we need some sort of protection.”
“Alright.” the man said. He pulled out a small pistol and put it on the counter, “Ya'll can borrow this. I expect it or money back as soon as is possible. Hear me?”
“Yes, sir!” Del tried her best not to beam. Finally, something in this yi dwei da buen chuo roh trip was going the right way.
--
The stationmaster's office told much of the story. Plastered to the walls were maps, all marked with troop positions and calvary movements. Each was of a key battle during the war for unification. The stationmaster's shirt, pants, and vest, all in various shades of brown told the rest of the story.
“I'm Victoria Saunders. What can I do for you both?”
Nadie and James explained their situation. They started with them being drugged and ended with them arriving on Dandelion Station.
“I see.” Victoria drummed her fingers on the desk, “Well. Truth be told something about that ship didn't smell right to me. I'll tell you what. I'll turn you over to my head of security and he'll go have a talk with Mr. Rawl. I'll trust his judgement on what to do next.”
It was the best they could hope for, really. Nadie and James followed Victoria down the hall to another office. Inside, a man in his late fifties was just finishing up a cortex conversation.
“I read ya doc.” the man said, “Sheh sheh.”
He looked up at Victoria.
“Doc says there's an addict on board that might be hard up for a fix. Asked us to keep an eye out. Usual sort of thing.”
“Captain Ling, Mr. Heru, this is Russell Jones, my head of security. Russell, Captain Ling has claimed ownership of a ship docked here. The Pussycat. She says the man who signed the boat in stole it from her.” Victoria stepped out of the way so that Nadie and James could each shake Russell's hand.
“Thought that ship smelt a tad funny.” Russell replied, “Alright. I'll take a few men with me. Go talk to the folk on board and sniff out what's what.”
“Good luck, Captain.” Victoria said to Nadie.
The stationmaster returned to her office while Russell strapped on an armored vest and grabbed his shotgun.
“Never hurts to be prepared. Motto you young folk should take to heart,” the man noted.
Russell arranged for two of his deputies to meet him at the lift to dock four. He started out in that direction himself, followed closely by Nadie and James. Once they reached the mall they were joined by Fin and Del.
The group of station lawmen and spacers all crowded into the lift and traveled down to dock 4.
“Kwon Yi,” Russell said into his transceiver, “I want you to put a stationlock on the Pussycat. She's not to leave until Miss Saunders or I give the alright.”
A tinny voice on the other end confirmed the order.
Russell pressed a button on the control panel next to the airlock door. He waited until a voice answered.
“Yes?”
“This is Russell Jones, head of station security. I'm going to need to talk to you. I'll be coming in and bringing a few men with me. Please be in your cargo hold and unarmed.”
There was no further reply. A moment later the station shook as the Mao's Claw attempted to break the stationlock by pulling away.
“Idiot.” Russell muttered, “only thing he's going to do that way is tear open his own ship. Stationlock shuts down reaction and pulse drive. Only thing left is spitters and those ain't enough to break from a locked seal. Folks, I'm going to ask you to wait here. My men and I will handle this.”
Russell keyed in an override sequence and the airlock door opened. His men went first. He moved to follow. The crew moved to follow him but were stopped when he turned around.
“I said wait here.” Russell waited until they were on the other side of the airlock door and then closed it.
--
“Alright,” she said just after she reached twenty, “Del, open her up.”
Del got to work hotwiring the airlock controls. James looked over her shoulders, offering his own expertise. Between the two of them, they got the job done. The four of them hurried across and into the Claw just as the first shots were fired.
--
Currently playing: The Fifth Element soundtrack, track 6. “We need to shut the engine down.” Nadie said as they hurried through the cargo hold. A stray bullet hitting the wall forced them to pause just as they reached the entrance to the passenger deck. One of Russell's deputies and Rawl's large minion were in a classic gunfight, each crouched around a corner, peering out occasionally to take a shot.
James joined the deputy, taking cover. Del tossed him the gun she had borrowed before climbing the ladder up to the crew deck. Nadie followed her. There, they found Russell and his second deputy cautiously checking the rooms, one by one. Del rushed past them, towards the engine room.
--
The deputy went down, hard, as the bullet slammed into his vest. James glanced at the fallen man. There wasn't any blood. The deputy was wearing a vest so the blow had probably just knocked him out. James kept firing, trying to take the big man down.
--
Del stopped at the entrance to the engine room. The latin woman who had drugged both her and Fin was hunched over a console, desperately pressing buttons. Something inside the usually cheerful young mechanic snapped. She rushed forward, attempting to slam all her weight into the other woman. Rawl's flunky noticed, though, and proved herself much more capable in combat. She grabbed Del by the wrist twisted, and shoved her hard into the wall.
--
Fin moved carefully, timing for the moments between shots, trying to get to the infirmary. He yanked open the door. Once inside, he slammed it shut.
--
Nadie reached the engine room in time to see Del's face meet the metal wall. The captain moved quickly and combat began. Nadie threw a careful punch that caught the woman in the nose. Realizing she was outmatched in hand to hand, the latin woman drew a knife from her belt. She slashed forward and cut a line down Nadie's side. Nadie twisted away from the knife and slammed her hand into the woman's. The knife went flying into the air and landed with a clatter, bouncing underneath the engine. The latin woman drew a second knife.
--
James timed his shot perfectly. As the big man leaned forward to fire again, James squeezed the trigger. The bullet hit the man square in the chest, knocking him backwards and into the ship's locker.
--
Nadie fought for her life, dodging the knife as it slashed towards her repeatedly in a rain of gleaming metal. She waited for the right moment. The right opening. Finally, her opponent overreached and Nadie moved inside. She slammed her knee up into the woman's stomach and then smashed her elbow down onto the woman's skull. Rawl's minion went down hard.
Del rushed to the engine and slammed the primary power switch, shutting it down. The vessel stopped shaking.
--
Fin's eyes widened as he realized his infirmary had been cleared out. The machines were gone. Worse, the medicine was all gone. The shelves in the medical fridge were bare.
--
“Not bad.” Russell stood in the doorway of the engine room, his shotgun loosely held in both hands, “Some good moves there, missy.”
Nadie smiled and opened her mouth to speak but a vibration in the Claw stopped her. She recognized it right away.
Nadie shoved her way past Russell and rushed up the ladder that led to the shuttle entrance lock but she already knew what she would find. Or wouldn't find. Huxley T. Rawl had gotten away in the Claw's shuttle.
--
In a small, guarded room on the moon of Haven, a man smiled to himself. At least he had the pleasure of knowing he had visited some misery upon the people who had brought him down.
Normally, Sidney wouldn't bother with something so petty but he had received information about the bounty on the Mao's Claw a little over a week before she had arrived. Someone wanted information about where that ugly piece of feh wu could be found pretty badly. Sidney had been only too happy to provide. He had waved the bounty holder less than an hour after the Mao's Claw had originally left for Beylix. At that point he doubted the robot would fail to destroy the ship and crew but a good spy should always have a backup plan.
END OF ACT THREE
EPILOGUE
A small cargo ship attached to the Dandelion found the shuttle and towed it back a day later. It was just floating in the black. Of Huxley T. Rawl there was no sign.
Jebediah “Splatter” Fields died from injuries sustained during combat. Roberta Delmarco was slapped into the station's brig until a proper trial could be held.
It turned out that Rawl had sold the broken mule, the crane, the forklift, the machine shop, the contents of the ship's locker, and most of the medical supplies. He had, however, kept all the food and left them with a full fuel tank.
Vincent was found tied up in the ship's locker. It turned out that Splatter recognized Vincent. They had planned on holding him for ransom. All their belongings were stowed away in the ship's locker as well. They had been taken as trophies, it seemed.
Exactly five days after the Mao's Claw had been stolen all her cortex records, including Nadie's ownership papers, simply reverted back to their proper state. Only one person knows why... and he ain't telling no one.
FADE TO BLACK
| Heroes of the Great Tree Topics | ||
| Impossibilities | I-verse background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Phantapunk | Aeryn Background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Concrete & Crimson | World Background • Scoobies • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Keep Flying | The 'Verse • The Crew • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Polybius | The World • Investigators • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Labyrinth | The World • PCs • NPCs • House Rules | |
